1. Technical Field
The present application relates to beverage bottling plants for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material. The present application further relates to container handling machines that are configured with carrying pockets, said machines being of the art described herein below.
2. Background Information
A beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material can possibly comprise a beverage filling machine with a plurality of beverage filling positions, each beverage filling position having a beverage filling device for filling bottles with liquid beverage filling material. The filling devices may have an apparatus designed to introduce a predetermined volume of liquid beverage filling material into the interior of bottles to a substantially predetermined level of liquid beverage filling material. The apparatus designed to introduce a predetermined flow of liquid beverage filling material further comprises an apparatus that is designed to terminate the filling of the beverage bottles upon the liquid beverage filling material reaching the predetermined level in bottles. There may also be provided a conveyer arrangement that is designed to move bottles, for example, from an inspecting machine to the filling machine. Upon filling, a closing station closes the filled bottles. There may further be provided a conveyer arrangement configured to transfer filled bottles from the filling machine to the closing station. Bottles may be labeled in a labeling station, the labeling station having a conveyer arrangement to receive bottles and to output bottles. The closing station and the labeling station may be connected by a corresponding conveyer arrangement.
The container handling machines, equipped with carrying pockets, that are introduced in the framework of the application are primarily for the processing of containers made of, for example, PET, such as, for example, bottles that comprise a so-called collar ring or, respectively, neck ring. Furthermore, the application of the carrying pockets that are herein introduced is for all further suitable container types and also for further associated equipment and/or additional equipment, such as, for example, input stars and output stars.
Container handling machines are, for example, filling machines, closing machines, rinser and the like. For higher efficiency they are configured to be rotatable, with the container receiving processing stations being disposed at the perimeter of a so-called rotor and they carry the containers along during the processing.
Plastic containers comprising a neck ring are then handled and/or transported, when they are empty or when they are disposed within the handling machine, as a rule, by a so-called neck-handling.
The introduction of the containers into the handling machines, as a rule, is done by known arrangements for the materials handling using air for such containers. Within the processing machines the flow is carried out by transfer stars and/or transport stars that are particularly configured for the handling of containers that comprise a neck ring.
The transfer of the containers from the air materials handler, in which the containers are transported in random manner and without a fixed array, to the transfer stars or transport stars, that convey the containers in an orderly fashion and in a predetermined fixed array, is done using known input screws or separating screws that present the containers in an individual array, from initially being disposed in contact with one another during the transport by the air materials handler; and subsequently they are passed to an input star or a transport star.
The next step comprises the transfer of the container from an input star to the rotor of the processing machine.
The designs that are required for this object are predominantly determined by the manner in which the containers are fixed during transport by the rotor of the processing machines.
In the event that the containers are fixed, for example, by grippers that hold the mouth portions of these containers or, respectively, the neck rings, also, as a rule, the transfer stars or the input stars, comprise corresponding grippers, with the transfer of the containers from the input star to the rotor being carried out at an apparent contact point of both reference diameters. In this, the release by the input star and the fixing by the rotor are brought into conformity as to time and space in such a way that the transfer is done securely, rapidly, and error-free.
When the containers are fixed by grippers that secure the body of the container, the input stars generally do not comprise gripper elements, but so-called star pockets that are configured to initially guide the containers under utilization of outer guide arrangements and subsequently they are configured to transfer the containers to the grippers.
It is of disadvantage in the above-described installations that there is, firstly, a large amount of necessary components and also there arise associated high manufacturing costs and maintenance costs.
Particularly in the cold-aseptic filling that is gaining an ever increasing market share, there accordingly results for such installations a further essential disadvantage that resides therein that a larger effort needs to be expended so as to ensure the sterile treatment in a continuous operation.
For the solution, inter alia, of this problem the applicant has made further applications, such as, for example, file No. 103 40 365.5 and file No. 103 26 618.6, that deal primarily with cold-aseptic container handling machines and therein particularly with the reduction of the number of components and the reduction of the capacity of the required clean room or space.
A further problem of such cold-aseptic container handling machines comprises the consumption of sterile air and the costs associated therewith.
To provide solutions of the problem is also the aim of the above-mentioned applications of the applicant. Within the framework of these and other applications many problems have been solved. Essentially no concern has been shown for the losses of sterile air that occur at the point of separation between the rotating rotor of the container handling machine or the associated stars and the fixed enclosure.
The known configurations follow essentially the prior art illustrated in FIG. 1. These comprise carrying pockets at the input stars and output stars, and also at the rotors of the container handling machines, which receive the containers, with the containers being held at a portion of the necks that is disposed below the neck ring.
The known embodiments comprise carrying pockets which, as a rule, are configured in such a way that they embrace the container neck only up to its maximal diameter, in rare individual cases only a few millimeters beyond, or they can support them. Since this type of the carrying does not provide a secure guiding of the containers in such cases, outer guide arrangements are of necessity. In accordance with the present application these are configured, due to the design conditions at hand, in such a manner and they are disposed such that they contact the container neck at that side that is opposite to the carrying pocket and, in this way, urge the container accordingly into the carrying pocket or, respectively, fix the container therein.
When proceeding in this manner, a gap is established between the input stars or output stars, rotors and the outer guide arrangements associated with these components—which can be configured as enclosures or as complements of such—which gap has a width of approximately one half of the container diameter. For customary containers the relative neck diameter is, for example, 29 or 32 millimeters, so that the width of the gap is of the order of 14 or even 16 millimeters, this leading thereto that such container handling machines exhibit a high loss of sterile air.
With an increased demand for quality of the beverage to be filled into containers and its stability of durability, there is at hand a type of arrangement in which the handling positions are disposed in a closed space that is supplied with a special atmosphere. Such a space can be supplied with an inert atmosphere, for example, carbon dioxide, with a sterilizing atmosphere, or with hydrogen peroxide and thus can ensure a treatment of the beverage that is low in oxygen and low in germs, this being of paramount importance for the filling quality of the beverage. Such handling machines are known in many varieties in the beverage industry.
German Patent No. DE-PS 696,569 shows an arrangement in which a filling machine is disposed in a closed housing. The space that is provided in this manner is determined by the full size of the machine and has a substantial volume. German Patent Publication No. DE-OS 199 11 517 A1 shows a rotating filling machine that is fully disposed in a tightly surrounding housing that has a size that is determined by the size of the machine and, accordingly, the housing is also of substantial volume. German Patent No. DE-PS 198 35 369 C1 shows an embodiment in which the lower handling positions of container handling machines extend in sealed manner from above into a space that is supplied with a special atmosphere. This space is equipped so as to be accessed from below.
A further solution is disclosed in German Patent Publication No. DE-OS 197 31 796. The technical embodiment of this reference comprises a filling machine and a closing machine that are both disposed in a clean space or room that has a volume that is dimensioned so as to be so tight such that there is only space for maintenance at the filling machine and at the closing machine. By way of the reduction of the volume of the clean space, a lowering of the operating expense of the arrangement is to be attained. In addition, an immersion bath sterilizer is directly disposed at the clean space. This measure is to achieve, in contrast with European Patent No. EP 0120 789, to make the second rinser superfluous and to obviate associated operating and capital expenditures. This solution comprises overall the drawback that also in this embodiment there is suggested a clean space that fully envelops the filling machine, as well as the closing machine, and this arrangement requires a large amount of space and high construction and operating expenses. The desired extensive reduction in size of the constructive volume of the clean space that is sought in this teaching entails marked disadvantages, due to the diminished accessibility when maintenance is to be carried out.
The substantial volume of the space that is supplied with a special atmosphere is, accordingly, of disadvantage in the designs of the prior art. In the event of disruptions of operations, the space needs to be opened. It is then filled with normal ambient air and is correspondingly accessible to germs. The subsequent cleaning of the space prior to resumption of operations is largely determined by the surfaces and the overall volume of the space. In the case of the known large clean rooms, accordingly, the interruptions of operations, that are necessary due to disruptions of operations, or required relocation of machines, as well as the unavoidable cleaning of machines, last for hours.
From German Patent Publication No. DE-OS 101 45 803 A1 (corresponding to International Patent Publication No. WO 03/024860 A1, published on Mar. 27, 2003) and German Petty Patent No. DE-GM 297 13 155 U1, (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,867 issued to Karl on Feb. 22, 2000), it is finally known that the closed space is configured as an annular tunnel structure that moves about/or surrounds the carousel of the filling machine and the annular boiler, on the one hand, and by the stationary surfaces, on the other hand, whereby the carousel surfaces and the stationary surfaces are disposed in sealing manner atop one another or, respectively, with respect to one another by way of concentric seal elements. These known configurations already substantially reduce the required clean space.